DigitalOcean's pricing looks simple at first because Droplets are presented in clear resource tiers. The real decision becomes more nuanced once you add backups, storage, dedicated CPU, public IP behavior, and the newer v5 configurable Droplets.
In 2026, DigitalOcean also changed Droplet billing to per-second granularity, which matters for temporary servers and automated workloads.
Key takeaways
- Basic Droplets currently start at $4 per month for 512 MiB and $6 for 1 GiB.
- A 2 GiB Basic Droplet is listed at $12 per month.
- Droplets moved to per-second billing in January 2026 with a 60-second minimum.
- Bundled plans retain monthly caps, while v5 configurable Droplets do not use the same cap model.
- Backups and additional storage add to the compute price.
Basic Droplet prices
DigitalOcean currently lists Basic shared-CPU Droplets at $4 per month for 512 MiB, $6 for 1 GiB, and $12 for 2 GiB. These tiers are designed for bursty workloads such as low-traffic sites, development environments, and small applications.
Larger Basic plans increase memory, vCPU count, transfer, and disk in fixed bundles.
Dedicated CPU and specialized plans
DigitalOcean also offers CPU-Optimized, General Purpose, Memory-Optimized, and Storage-Optimized Droplets for workloads that need dedicated compute or specialized resource ratios.
The correct comparison is workload class, not simply RAM. A dedicated CPU plan may cost more because it provides a different performance guarantee.
Per-second billing and monthly caps
DigitalOcean moved Droplets to per-second billing effective January 1, 2026 with a minimum charge of 60 seconds or $0.01. Bundled CPU Droplets are capped at 672 hours per month.
That makes short-lived build jobs and test servers cheaper than paying an entire hour or month, as long as the resources are actually destroyed when finished.
Backups, bandwidth and total cost
Basic Droplets include outbound transfer based on plan size and inbound bandwidth is free. Backup pricing depends on the backup model, and block storage is billed separately.
Use the final configuration, not the base Droplet price, when comparing DigitalOcean with Hetzner or Vultr.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest DigitalOcean Droplet?
DigitalOcean currently lists a 512 MiB Basic Droplet at $4 per month.
How much is a 1 GB DigitalOcean Droplet?
The current Basic pricing table lists 1 GiB at $6 per month.
Does DigitalOcean bill per second?
Yes. Droplets moved to per-second billing in 2026 with a 60-second minimum.
Are DigitalOcean backups free?
No. Backup pricing is separate from the base Droplet price.
Official sources checked
Pricing and product details can change. These are the primary sources used for time-sensitive claims in this guide.
DigitalOcean Droplet pricing →DigitalOcean Droplet pricing documentation →